1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the joining art and more particularly to an interlocking construction arrangement for joining together two members at a predetermined angular relationship.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many applications it is desired to provide an interlocking construction arrangement for joining together two members at a predetermined angular relationship. For example, in the fabrication of furniture the tops, sides, fronts and backs of such structures must be joined together in a particular angular relationship to provide a useful, final structure. Similarly, drawers as utilized in cabinets or the like have fronts, backs and sides and also must be joined together, usually at right angles. The bottoms of drawers in such cabinets, in accordance with conventional practice, are often fitted into slots in the fronts, backs, and sides.
In order to affect economy in the manufacture, shipping, and storage of cabinets and/or drawers for cabinets, it is very often desired to be able to fabricate the separate components comprising the structure and ship them in what is termed a "knocked down" configuration. That is, in such a K.D. configuration, each of the separate members which are ultimately assembled into the final structure are not joined together at the factory but may be shipped unjoined. As such, they may be shipped and stored in a volume that may be several orders of magnitude less than the volume that would be occupied by the assembled structure.
However, in many such prior K.D. constructions, the drawers that were utilized therein were still fully assembled when shipped and utilized the conventional dovetail interconnecting arrangement between the members forming the drawer structure. As such, considerable volume was wasted by the requirement of shipping and storing fully assembled drawers, if not the whole cabinets. To provide a construction arrangement of the interlocking type that may be utilized in such cabinets and/or the drawers therefor, the arrangement for providing the interlocking construction must be readily adaptable for quick and easy installation by the ultimate purchaser to provide a satisfactory assembled structure. Further, such interlocking construction arrangement must also provide the rigidity, strength and appearance, after assembly, of similar structures that have been fabricated and assembled by the manufacturer prior to shipping.